It only just occurred to me that I hadn't posted about the night spider data collection that took place nearly a week ago. Though many had been asked to go, and several gave a "strong maybe" response, in the end, only 4 of us showed up. Myself, my lab partner Gray, and the Entrekins. Despite lower than expected participation, the search went wonderfully. Professor Entrekin taught us a method for scanning an area for spiders using flashlights reflecting off of spider eyes. While at first I had trouble seeing things, I quickly found it was a matter of location. In the tall grass areas, there was too much interference. In the short grass area, there didn't appear to be much to see. But in the leaf litter under the trees, the effects of this method became clear. The further you walked into the trees, the more little sparkles you saw reflecting back at you. It became a little startling just how many spiders had been under my feet that whole time. Later, Gray and I took a moment in the control site to just stand in silence with the lights turned off. Once your eyes adjust to the low levels of light, the bayou becomes quite a beautiful and peaceful place. Before I left, I encountered a large frog (where was he when I was looking for frogs?!?), and heard something rustling in the leaves near the edge of the control site. I assume it was a herd of deer, but my spotlight had died, and I had no way to pursue them. All in all, it was quite an enjoyable experience.
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